Kneeling aid

ABSTRACT

A kneeling aid for household or garden use in the form of a platform or board with upstanding handles by means of which work required to be done in a kneeling or near kneeling position may be accomplished. The platform has an upper padded surface (9) and handles (16) at opposite ends thereof for assuming or arising from the kneeling posture. The handles (16) have elongated slots engaging hinge pins (15) in support members (8). This slot-and-pin arrangement allows locking of the handles in the upright position consequent to downward sliding of the handles in supports (8), while raising of the handles permits them to be pivoted into cut-outs (10) so that the handles can lie folded onto the platform.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device in the form of a kneeling aidparticularly, but not exclusively, for household or garden use, andcomprises a kneeling platform or board by means of which work requiredto be done in a kneeling or near kneeling position may be morecomfortably and efficiently accomplished, while also providing means foraiding the person using the device in assuming the kneeling position andarising therefrom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a kneeling aid comprisinga base part having a resilient or padded upper kneeling surface, saidbase part being provided with handles at opposite ends thereof which areadapted to be grasped by a person in assuming or arising from thekneeling position or for maintaining balance during the kneelingposture, said handles being hingedly mounted on the base part so as tobe movable from an upright releasably lockable position to a collapsedposition on the base part.

The handles may be hingedly and slidably mounted in upstanding supportmembers integral with or secured to and adjacent the rear corners of thebase part, and pivot means such as pivot pins may be provided in theupstanding support members and engageable in elongated slots in theportion of the handles engageable in said support members which areprovided on their inner facing upper ends with cut-out portions, saidhandles being slidable downwardly in said support members to lock samein their upright position and movable upwards through said slots to aposition wherein they can be pivoted inwardly into said cut-out portionsto a collapsed position above said base part.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the support membersare located adjacent the front corners of the base part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention and its manner of performance may be morefully understood, reference will now be made to embodiments of theinvention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above and to the front left hand sideof a first embodiment of the device;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 in thecollapsed folded configuration;

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the hinge connection with a handle in theuppermost position prior to pivoting to a collapsed position;

FIG. 6 is a detail view of the hinge connection with a handle in thecollapsed configuration;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view similar to FIG. 3 of a secondembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the device of FIG. 7 in thecollapsed folded configuration;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view from above and to the front left hand sideof a third embodiment of the device;

FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view; and

FIG. 11 is a rear elevational view of the device of FIG. 9 in thecollapsed folded configuration.

FIG. 12 is a detailed view of another embodiment of the hinge connectionwith a handle in the uppermost position prior ro hinging to a collapsedposition; and

FIG. 13 is a detailed view of the hinge connection of FIG. 12 with ahandle in the collapsed position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6 of the drawings, the device comprises arectangular base member 5 comprising a tubular U-shaped frame 6 having aflat bottom part 7 attached thereto and having upstanding socket members8 at the rear corners thereof, said socket members 8 being preferablyformed as an integral part of tubular frame 6. Located on the bottompart 7 is a pad 9 of resilient plastic material.

The upstanding socket members 8 are each provided with a cut-out portion10 preferably formed with a lip portion 11 (FIG. 5), said cut-outportions 10 being formed on the inwardly facing surfaces of the socketmembers 8.

Handles 12 are provided with a portion 13 having an elongated closedslot 14 formed therein, and said socket members 8 are each provided witha pivot pin 15 engageable through said closed slot 14 of a handle 12.The handle portion 16 above said portion 13 is angled towards the frontof the device and at its upper end extend rearwardly at 17 to form ahandle engaging part provided with suitable resilient grip members 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, with the handles in the upright in-use position, thehandle portions 13 are engaged in the socket members 8 with the pivotpins 15 engaging the top end of the slots 14. To collapse the handle 12onto or above the base member 5, for carrying, stowage or packagingpurposes, the handles 12 are lifted upwards in socket members 8 untilthe pivot pins engage against the lower end of the slots and the handlescan then be pivoted inwardly, one above the other as illustrated in FIG.4.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a modified form of the device of the invention,wherein one socket member 8 is longer than the other socket member 8'and handle 12 is shorter than handle 12', so that when the handles arehinged to the collapsed position, a more compact folded configuration isobtained, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 is of similar construction to theembodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6, but with the socket members 8 located at thefront of the base member 5, and wherein the preferred hinge constructionis as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The locking of the handles in theupright position and inward pivoting of the handles to the collapsedposition is as described with relation to FIGS. 1 to 6. The feature ofFIGS. 7 and 8 may also apply to this embodiment.

Instead of slot 14 being located in handle 12 and pin 15 in socket 8,the slot may be formed in socket 8 and pin 15 secured in portion 13 ofhandle 12. This embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kneeling aid device comprising(a) a base platehaving a resilient upper kneeling surface; (b) a U-shaped tubularframework attached to and surrounding a first side of said base plateand both ends of said base plate, and terminating at ends of saidframework on either side of said user in upstanding support members; (c)a tubular handle, adapted to be grasped by a human hand, hingedlymounted in each of said support members and extending obliquely upwardaway from said second side and terminating in a substantially horizontalportion extending back toward said second side; (d) a pin-and-slotconnection between said support members and handles to permit pivotingmovement from an upright releasably lockable position to a collapsedposition on said base plate; (e) cut-out portions on inwardly facingupper ends of said support members, said handles being movable upwardlyto a position from which they can be pivoted inwardly into said cut-outportions to said collapsed position on said base plate.
 2. A kneelingaid according to claim 1 wherein said cut-out portions are provided withsupporting lip portions.
 3. A kneeling aid according to claim 1 whereinone of said support members is longer than the other and one handle isshorter than the other to provide a compact folded configuration in thecollapsed position of the handles.
 4. A kneeling aid according to claim1, wherein said pin-and-slot connection comprises pivot pins in saidsupport members engageable in elongated slots in portions of saidhandles engageable in said support members.
 5. A kneeling aid accordingto claim 1, wherein said pin-and-slot connection comprises pivot pins onportions of said handles engageable in said support members engageablein elongated slots in said support members.
 6. A kneeling aid devicecomprising(a) a base plate having a resilient upper kneeling surface;(b) a U-shaped tubular framework attached to and surrounding a side andboth ends of said base plate, and terminating at ends of said frameworkin upstanding support members; (c) a tubular handle, adapted to begrasped by a human hand, hingedly mounted in each of said supportmembers for pivoting movement from an upright releasably lockableposition to a collapsed position on said base plate; (d) a pin-and-slotconnection between said support members and handles to permit thepivoting movement; and (e) cut-out portions on inwardly facing upperends of said support members, said handles being movable upwardly to aposition from which they can be pivoted inwardly into said cut-outportions to said collapsed position on said base plate; (f) wherein saidhandles are hingedly mounted at rear corners of said base plate andextend forwardly and upwardly in their locked position and rearwardly atupper ends of said handles to form a handle engaging part.